Cargo Boeing 747 crashes at Bagram Airfield. Dramatic footage not for feint hearted

[James]

Reuters reporting:

A civilian cargo plane crashed at Bagram Airfield, north of the Afghan capital, soon after takeoff on Monday, killing all seven people aboard.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the crash, which took place at a key transport hub for the U.S.-led military operations in Afghanistan, but NATO denied that the plane was attacked.

In a statement to the Associated Press news agency, NATO said the Taliban's "claims are false."

The coalition said the cause of the crash was being investigated, but there was no sign of insurgent activity in the area at the time.

The Boeing 747-400 — owned by National Airlines, a Florida-based subsidiary of National Air Cargo — was en route to Dubai, carrying vehicles and other cargo.

"This is a devastating loss for our family, and we'll work diligently with authorities to find the cause," National Airlines President Glen Joerger said in the statement, as reported by the CNN.

"Our focus at this time is on the family members of those we've lost, and on assisting the the U.S. NTSB [National Transportation Safety Board] and Afghanistan Civil Aviation Authority in their investigations."

Five of the seven people who died in the crash were from Michigan, according to National Air Cargo vice president Shirley Kaufman, who spoke to the AP.

"We are not yet releasing the identities of the colleagues we lost, out of respect for their families who need a little more time to reach other loved ones," she told AP.

The crash came two days after four U.S. military personnel were killed in a crash of an MC-12 surveillance aircraft in the southern Afghan province of Zabul.

The police chief in Zabul, Rogh Lewanai, told Reuters news agency on Saturday that bad weather caused that crash, which occurred in the district of Shahjoi.

The Pentagon said on Sunday the crash of the MC-12 was under investigation.

Zabul, located between Kandahar and Ghazni, has been a flashpoint of Taliban activity in recent weeks, including a suicide bomb attack in early April that killed a young U.S. diplomat, several U.S. soldiers and an unnamed U.S. civilian. Dozens of Afghan civilians also have been killed there this month, according to Reuters.

 

[Lycanthrope]

Yeouch... Sad for those who lost loved ones...

There's something heart-breaking about seeing a grand plane like that just fall out of the sky

 

[Hagan]

I've decided to not watch this.

It may haunt my thoughts.

 

[Lycanthrope]

I've decided to not watch this.

It may haunt my thoughts.

Watch it; I'd like to know what you think happened.

To me it looks like the engines cut out. First one then the other.

 

[Ike_009]

Watch it; I'd like to know what you think happened.

To me it looks like the engines cut out. First one then the other.

I thought it looked like the aircraft stalled, but anti stall should prevent that.

I just don't see how you tell a Soldiers family that their Son/husband/ father died outside Bagram in a non-combat, support role inside the green zone.

 

[Lycanthrope]

I thought it looked like the aircraft stalled, but anti stall should prevent that.

I have no idea. I'm fairly ignorant about the mechanics behind planes so I can only call it as I interpret it

I just don't see how you tell a Soldiers family that their Son/husband/ father died outside Bagram in a non-combat, support role inside the green zone.

I don't think the cause matters anywhere near as much as just the fact that it's happened, it's over, there's nothing you can do to change it.

It could've been anything under the sun--a car crash, a bomb, a misfired gun, a freak meteor, a stroke, etc--in this case it was (hopefully) a freak plane crash. Alternatively, it was a sabotaged plane.

Personally, I'd prefer my loved ones dying because of something unavoidable than have someone/something to blame for it. I figure it's easier to find closure that way.

 

[Ike_009]

It could've been anything under the sun--a car crash, a bomb, a misfired gun, a freak meteor, a stroke, etc--in this case it was (hopefully) a freak plane crash. Alternatively, it was a sabotaged plane.

Personally, I'd prefer my loved ones dying because of something unavoidable than have someone/something to blame for it. I figure it's easier to find closure that way.

I see where your coming from but it must be a huge shock especially since their in a relatively safe wing of the military, you expect him to come home safe while a soldier on the front line you know the odds are there that he might die (you just pray it isn't true) . I just feel it must be a much harder blow.

 

[czc]

Watch it; I'd like to know what you think happened.

To me it looks like the engines cut out. First one then the other.

My colleagues friend said the plane (747) is unstallable. So it is very strange.

 

[Cicero]

I heard it was carrying vehicles and they weren't tied down properly and then all shifted. I dont have a source unfortunately, just one of my friends, so it could be rubbish.

If its true then I guess its possible, if all the vehicles shift to the back and cause the plane to go almost vertical, it virtually stalls...then KO. But its all speculation.

 

[Neo]

Did you guys notice the insane angle at which this plane tried to climb? It looked nearly 90 degrees at one point before it banked hard to one side. If a plane is loaded heavily with cargo the rate of ascent is usually a lot slower and at a respectable (safe) low angle. The plane's attitude didn't look "right" from the get go on this. Something very weird must have happened.